People's Democracy

 

Organised Effort to Falsify the Outcome

 

ON AUGUST 27, a delegation of members of parliament belonging to the Left parties, viz. the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, met the chief election commissioner of India (CEC) and submitted a memorandum to him on the issue of certain electoral malpractices being resorted to in West Bengal by Trinamul Congress. The delegation consisted of  Sitaram Yechury (leader, CPI(M) group in Rajya Sabha), Basudev Acharia (leader, CPI(M) group in Lok Sabha), Nilotpal Basu (member of the CPI(M) Central Secretariat), Prabodh Panda (Communist Party of India), Narahari Mahato (All India Forward Bloc) and Prasanta Majumdar (Revolutionary Socialist Party).

The text of the memorandum is reproduced here, minus the annexures appended to the text.

We are constrained to bring to your notice on behalf of the four Left parties --- the CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP --- the very disturbing attempts in West Bengal in the run-up to the process of summary  revision of electoral rolls (SRER). While forwarding the memorandum addressed to you on behalf of the Left Front Committee, West Bengal, we would like to draw your focussed attention to specific facts which will  bring out the humongous magnitude of these attempts  which,  unless defeated, will lead to  large-scale falsification of the electoral rolls  and distort the ensuing assembly elections as a  whole.

In this context, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that we had already met you on August 3, 2010 to initially acquaint you with the problem. Certain major facts have now come to our notice which  further  reinforces our apprehension.

The total number of Form 6 applications for addition of new names, to be included in the draft electoral rolls as part of the SRER, is given to be 56,19,057 (Annexure I). The district-wise break-up of the total number of Form 6 applications shows the unusually inflated total number of applications. This is available in Annexure II for your ready reference and perusal.

That the number of Form 6 application is unusually high can be made out from Annexure III. The following table will give a complete picture.

Summary of last three revisions	a) No of electors in Draft Rolls	b) Total Additions	c) Total Deletions	d) Net Addition	e) % of Net Addition
2006	4,80,95,009	25,80,001	28,35,726	-2,55,725	-0.5
2007	4,78,39,290	20,75,343	11,98,568	8,76,775	1.83
2008	5,04,11,682	14,00,601	2,00,719	11,99,882	2.38
2009	5,16,12,655	13,81,575	6,31,555	7,50,020	1.45

Roughly 56 lakh proposed additions,  over the total number of electors  amounting to 5,24,21,616, works out to a more than 10 per cent increase. Given the fact that the net additions in the preceding four years --- 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 --- were -- 0.5 per cent, 1.83 per cent, 2.38 per cent and 1.45 per cent respectively, it clearly shows abnormality of an unusual magnitude.

Together with this, the Left Front memorandum will show that there are gross attempts to bypass the well-established ECI stipulations for additions of names. The submission of affidavits, patently false methods of certification like school certificates, birth certificates from health centres etc, instead of standard procedures, indicate an organised effort to falsify the rolls. To be fair, we must also bring out that the chief electoral officer (CEO) had given a firm commitment in an all-party meeting on August 5, 2010, that "submission of bulk applications as well as affidavits and other documents inconsistent with the norms and rules of the Election Commission shall not be accepted or rejected if received anywhere, prior to enquiry."

We have been given to understand that the commitment so given is not being strictly implemented. There have been instances of  questionable role of certain observers to bring pressure on the block level election officials to turn a blind eye to these  obnoxious attempts and legitimise the applications without due consideration as per the directions of the Election Commission.
The magnitude of the problem and the attempted deceit like filing of affidavits, which is born not out of ignorance but to sidestep the due and impeccable procedures, cannot be defeated without your urgent intervention.

We, therefore, forward the Left Front memorandum and the voluminous Annexures to substantiate the contentions  contained therein.

We sincerely expect that with the active intervention of the EC, the sanctity and the integrity of the election process in West Bengal will be safeguarded and this will add up to the otherwise fine record  of  your achievements of the past.